Arthur Belmont
Arthur Belmont, Duke of Kingsford and Lord of Lionsgate was born to Arnold and Catelyn Belmont in a time long after the heyday of his family’s rule. His daughter is Lady Victoria Belmont. The Belmont Kings Two hundred years before Arthur’s birth, the Belmonts ruled as Kings of Arland. The Belmont dynasty was the longest lived of all Arlish kings but, like so many before them, they were doomed to fall. When the Nôlthwykan Empire fell, Roland Belmont united the families of Arland and overthrew the Nôvroni lords that held dominion over the realm. After his victory, Roland declared himself king and his family ruled for three hundred years before being overthrown the other lords of Arland. Since the fall of Roland’s Dynasty, the Belmonts have struggled to regain a foothold in the politics of Arland. Many families still distrust the Belmonts, believing that they wish to conquer Arland once again. Arthur’s forebears spent their rules reclaiming the land that was lost after the fall of the last Belmont King, Rufus. Arthur's Parents Arthur’s father was a cold and pragmatic man, obsessed with restoring his house to glory. His mother loved Arthur dearly but Arnold prevented her from coddling Arthur, thinking that it would diminish his manhood. Arthur’s parents died of the plague when Arthur was fourteen, thrusting lordship on him at an early age. As a young Duke, he relied heavily on the council of his father’s banner men but quickly showed himself to be more than capable of lordship. The Fallen Angel When Arthur was in his early twenties, something rather extraordinary happened. Whilst out on a hunt, he discovered a beautiful young woman alone in the woods. She was naked, cold and disoriented, not knowing where she was. Arthur wrapped her in his cloak and carried her back to his keep, nursing her back to health. The woman introduced herself as Inerielle, a fallen angel that had been ejected from the celestial plane for disobeying her masters. Arthur thought her to be mad and dismissed her story until he was visited by a man dressed in black a few days later. The man in black claimed that Inerielle was his wife and he was here to take her home. The man told Arthur that she was not well and was prone to episodes of delusion and hysteria. Arthur felt that was something off about this man and sent him away. Later that night, Arthur was awoken by a scream. He rushed into Inerielle room to see a terrible monster, the colour of the night looming over Inerielle. Arthur fought desperately, but was wounded badly and the fiend stole Inerielle away. Once he had recovered from his injuries, he vowed to find and rescue Inerielle. Arthur enlisted the aid of Mallion, an elven ranger that had been a friend to the Belmonts for generations, to hunt down Inerielle’s captors. After almost a year of searching, they finally managed to locate and save Inerielle. Reunited, Arthur and Inerielle fell in love and married. Before long, Inerielle was pregnant. The fallen angel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Victoria, but did not survive childbirth. It was after Inerielle’s death that Arthur was approached by Faeron, an elf from the south and old friend of Malion’s. Faeron informed Arthur that Victoria would be a target all her life, due to her celestial heritage. Faeron offered his council and guidance to the Belmont house, promising Arthur that he would always protect his beloved Victoria. Category:Characters Category:Arland